A Tesla Model 3 will be on display, plus Mercury’s electric 1957 Ford Fair- lane, the Hyundai Kona EV and Nissan Leaf Nismo. An Evoke electric motorcycle joins the many electric bikes, scooters and skateboards featuring, with two trial areas set aside for testing the latter three micro-EVs. Vehicle test rides and drives will also be available to the more than 30,000 visitors expected. EVs and the devices that charge them are among the latest products and services from the automotive, ma- Electric Avenue heats up Continued on page 8 Visitors can test drive or ride in EVs. Learning EV lessons from Norway N orwegian authority on electric vehicles Christina Bu will help spark up Kiwis about EVs dur- ing November.

She leads the world’s larg- est EV owners’ group, the 60,000-strong Norwegian EV Association, and is keen to impart on New Zealanders the lessons learned in her home country. EV advocacy group Drive Electric is bringing Bu here to outline the success- ful actions used in Norway around EV uptake, especially in business fleets, and the challenges faced. She’ll be speaking at breakfast events in Auckland on November 27, Christchurch on November 28 and Wellington on November 29. The Auckland and Christchurch events focus on the “unconverted” corporate audience, while the Welling- ton focus is more on the Government’s policy and procurement audience. The Norwegian association’s secretary general will meet ministers while in Wel- lington and attend a VIP dinner hosted by Meridian Energy with leaders of key Government agencies and influencing organisations. Meridian Energy procure- ment and property manager Nick Robilliard will present a New Zealand case study to localise this.

The electricity generator and retailer launched a campaign in April to encourage EV uptake by asking Kiwis to take on global EV leader Norway, as nearly a third of all cars sold in that coun- try are either fully-electric or hybrid. The campaign encouraged Kiwis to get involved in moving New Zealand toward an EV future, Meridian chief executive Neal Barclay says. Meridian has provided incentives such as a nationwide Electric Car Plan offering customers low night rates from 9pm until 7am, partnered with electric car sharing companies and has installed free electric car charging stations at Kiwi Property shopping malls. Bu will start her week’s visit on No- vember 26 with an informal event titled Continued on page 8 Christina Bu.

NEWSTALK EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 3 NEWSTALK Low hydro levels and higher prices shouldn’t impact EVs H ydro dams are at historical low levels, and as hydroelectric gen- eration contributes about 60% of New Zealand’s total electricity, we asked if electric vehicle owners should be worried. “Not at all,” Mercury chief marketing officer Julia Jack replies. “The current lake levels are unusual but not actually cause for concern. What the market is seeing are higher prices than usual due to gas supply issues and uncertainty about what impact that will have on fuel storage.” Hydro storage levels have fallen to nearly 60% of the historical average for this time of the year, and in part is also due to supply interruption at the coun- try’s largest gas field, Pohokura. This year started with reportedly the lowest hydro lake levels since 2008 - when New Zealand last had very low lake levels for a prolonged period. Jack says the “vast majority” of EV owners - and consumers in general - won’t see any impact at all, because they are on agreed tariffs or price plans. “It’s those who might be on spot pricing who would feel the impact of the current situation.” Fixed price contracts are set understanding market variability like this and are designed to help custom- ers by giving them certainty over the duration of their contract, she adds. “We take on the risk in that regard.” EV use is a small fraction of overall electricity demand, even with 10,885 EVs on our roads, she says. “So even if it was a matter of supply, at these numbers you wouldn’t see a material impact. And EV owners on our EV fuel package get 20% off their elec- tricity prices to charge overnight when demand is lower anyway.” Jack says what Mercury is seeing, though, is an increase in concern about petrol prices.

“Anecdotally, we’re seeing more enquiries from non-EV users about EVs than ever before,” she says. People are interested to hear more about things like Mercury’s EV sub- scription service, Drive, and its 20% off home electricity usage off-peak for EV owners (9pm-7am), she says. Asked whether other renewables like wind and geothermal are enough to cover the hydro situation, Jack says: “Absolutely”. “New Zealand is blessed with a diverse electricity mix, meaning all our eggs aren’t in one basket. We have plenty of renewable energy – hydro, geothermal and wind – as well as thermal supply to top up.

“It’s also exciting to think of how emerging technology might complement the important role our hydro lakes play in storing electricity in the future – such as solar panels and in-home batteries.” Forecasters are predicting a long, hot summer, so if lake levels continue to remain low what’s the answer? “We’re not at that stage yet,” Jack says. “What we’re hearing is that gas outages should be fixed later this month. Remember also that southern hydro lakes get most of their water in the summer months as snow and ice from winter melts.” How resilient is New Zealand in a situation where hydro lakes are low? “Extremely resilient,” Jack says. “We’re fourth in the OECD for a rea- son; we rate highly in terms of cost, security and renewability. “A lot of that’s down to our hydro lakes which serve as massive batter- ies and our world-leading geothermal expertise.” The rapidly developing vehicle-to- grid (V2G) technology will also allow EVs to act like power plants and return Julia Jack.

Continued on page 13 Hydro dams are running low. — Smarter Mobility For transport of the future, today www.abb.com/evcharging

4 | EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz NEWSTALK Flat out into the future E va Hakansson is one of the fastest women on the planet. And she’s setting the pace in electrics – clocking 434km/h in her land- speed record setting KillaJoule three- wheeled electric streamliner motorcycle. What’s probably even more incred- ible is that the Swedish born Aucklander largely built the motorcycle and side- car herself in a garage. “I’d rather spend time in the garage than the kitchen,” she quips. And she’ll certainly be doing more of that in preparation for further land speed record attempts in EVs, including in Australia next year.

Hakansson has crammed more into her 37 years than most people have achieved in a lifetime. As her first name suggests, she’s pas- sionate about EVs and helping the planet. “Speed is a great way of showing the potential of battery power, because fast is always in fashion,” she says. And she says KillaJoule’s other pur- pose is to show women can be excellent engineers, encouraging girls and women into science and technology careers. Visitors to Big Boys Toys on No- vember 16-18 can get up close with Hakansson and KillaJoule, featuring in the show’s “Electric Avenue” at the ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auckland.

Husband Bill Dubee will be there too as he shares Hakansson’s enthu- siasm, especially as he’s an engineer himself, having worked in research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In fact, it was their shared inter- ests which resulted in their meeting in Colorado where Hakansson added a doctorate in mechanical engineering to her string of academic achievements. “She’s got more degrees than a ther- mometer,” Dubee laughs. The Swedish speedster even wrote a thesis on political incentives for intro- ducing low emission cars back in 2005 when EVs were hardly mentioned. Hakansson blames a “genetic disor- der” for her engineering skills. Both par- ents are mechanical engineers and both her brothers are electrical engineers. Her dad Sven built and raced motorcycles and she learned much of her engineering in his workshop from a young age. After trying horse eventing for a few years, Hakansson returned to the other form of horsepower and at 16 was rid- ing her first motorcycle, an old 125cc Moto Guzzi Stornello she and her father assembled from pieces together. The tradition continues with Hakans- son – a lecturer in mechanical engi- neering at the University of Auckland – and Dubee both working on their electric racing machines after hours and at weekends.

While Hakansson is busy teaching computer aided design and engineer- ing drawing to first year engineering students during the day, evenings are dedicated to KillaJoule. They have a workshop in Albany where they can fit all the equipment brought from Colo- rado. And if they can’t find the right gear they will probably build it themselves, like a 3D printer needed to make things like the motorcycle’s “wing” sidecar. This year they’re even making their own non-pneumatic tyres they dub “Ki- Wieels” to avoid high-speed shredding. Hakansson gained a sought-after re- search grant at the University of Auckland, and the new wheels are her official re- search project. Two students will develop it further under her supervision next year. So how did the couple come to be in New Zealand?

It seems the early EV community here already knew about Hakansson and invited her here. She and Dupee raced an electric drag bike called the “KillaCycle” at Meremere in 2010 as well. It got to 100km/h in under a sec- ond before being retired years ago. Both Hakansson and Dupee were keen to return, describing New Zealand- ers as innovative and loving the country and its people. They came back, possibly for good, around the start of this year. And yes, they know all about the movie The World’s Fastest Indian, as it has parallels with their own achievements and plans and Eva Hakansson on KillaJoule. Children need toys that illustrate what they can achieve in various fields such as engineering and racing, Hakansson says. Download files and patterns for the helmet and racing suit from her website and turn your Barbie into a racing driver. Hakansson and dad Sven.

Continued on page 14

NEWSTALK EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 5 NEWSTALK www.transnet.co.nz ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGERS PLUG IN, WALK AWAY. SORTED. First electric bike expo in Auckland H uge interest is already evident in one of the first New Zealand shows dedicated just to elec- tric bikes, the eBike Expo, in Auckland on November 10 and 11. About 2000 visitors over the two days are expected at The Cloud on Queens Wharf by organiser Icon Conference and Event Management - such are e-bikes’ popularity. The company reports widespread buy-in from the e-bike industry and keen interest from the public. The expo will bring retailers, dis- tributors and infrastructure enablers together, allowing people the oppor- tunity to connect with all the experts in one place.

Other activities include free learn-to- ride lessons inside The Cloud, guided e-bike tours of the city’s cycleway loop with Electric Meg (aka Megan Page), and a Share the Road Truck Blind Zone dem- onstration on November 11 to show how riders can avoid vehicle blind spots. Two e-bike companies will also have electric scooters on display. There’s plenty of hype around e- scooters in Auckland at present with the Lime e-scooter share, soon to be followed by two similar e-scooter schemes from Onzo and Wave. Riding an electric bike advertising the eBike Expo is almost a daily event around the inner city for eBike Expo project man- ager Mary-anne Stuart-William. An e-bike fan, she uses it to com- mute and to visit family, seeing for herself just how popular e-bikes are becoming on the city’s cycleways. Electric bikes are the fastest growing category in cycling hardware, and new cycleways have encouraged commut- ers to try alternative transport options, leading to huge interest in e-bikes, Icon Conference and Event Management says. Auckland Transport and Bike Auck- land are among those supporting the eBike Expo.

Tickets for the 9am-4.30pm expo are $5 adult/child or $15 a family. Cash and eftpos is also available at the door. Visit www.ebikeexpo.co.nz for more information. Mary-anne at The Cloud.

NEWSTALK 6 | EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz NEWSTALK Synlait staff are switching to EVs I nnovative dairy processing company Synlait is encourag- ing sustainability by providing electric vehicle chargers free for staff use at its Dunsandel plant in Canterbury. That’s resulted in a run on EV dealerships such as those in Christchurch with staff mostly snapping up Nissan Leafs. Five charging stations (two chargers each) have been recently installed at Synlait Dunsandel, and cabling readied for 22 more chargers.

It’s believed that only two staff members had an EV before the chargers were added, but now about 11 commute in them, charging up while at work. Many more are considering buying an EV, especially with petrol costs rising, Synlait’s peo- ple, culture and performance director Boyd Williams says. He adds he’s among them. Such is the success of the Synlait Dunsandel EV venture that the company is likely to consider chargers for its other sites, like its new multi-million-dollar Pokeno fac- tory which is expected to open for the 2019-2020 dairy season in the northern Waikato, about 50km south-east of Auckland.

The EV charging idea came from a raft of sustainability goals announced by Synlait at its June annual conference. “These EV chargers are part of our commitment to reducing our impact as a company,” Williams says. “Synlait wants to encourage its staff to embrace sustainability in their own lives and installing EV chargers is one way we can help them do this.” Williams says the company surveyed the number of EVs and plug-ins on the market and found the average efficien- cy was about 0.19kWh/km with an aver- age battery size of 26kWh. The average range was 153km.

A typical one-way trip to Synlait from Christchurch is 50km, from Ashburton 40km and from Rolleston 20km. “This gave us confidence that staff could comfortably do the commute with an EV,” Williams says. The Canterbury plant also oper- ates a staff shuttle between Rolleston and Dunsandel to get more petrol and diesel vehicles off the road. Williams says while the EV move helps with the company’s sustainability goals, it’s also “just the right thing to do”. Providing the free chargers is mak- ing the firm more attractive as an em- ployer too, particularly as the factory is in a slightly remote area and means a reasonable commute for many. Staff, like Alan Jonkers - one of the first there to get an EV, are delighted with the company’s move. And Christchurch EV City owner Dave Boot says he’s sold quite a few Leafs to Synlait staff within days of the chargers being installed. “The amount of staff who’ve since bought a Leaf has been phenom- enal. People who have not thought about EVs are now doing so,” he says.

Back at Synlait, Williams says the company was developing a new carpark at Dunsandel and it made sense to add the chargers, the cost inclusive in the car park budget. Eight of them are 7kW and two are 22kW AC chargers. The chargers are solely for staff use and not available to the public as the car park is a secured site. It’s likely to lead to other companies following suit, particularly as supplying EV chargers helps with a firm’s clean, green image and encourages more people to apply for jobs when vacancies occur.

Boyd Williams. New group dealing with end-of-life EV batteries A “Battery Leaders Group” established by automotive industry represen- tatives and others is tasked with finding ways of using lithium-ion batteries to avoid creating e-waste. Vector is leading the group which aims to find circular economy solutions for batteries that are powering every- thing from EVs to event lighting. “The numbers of electric vehicles on our roads is growing and with a battery life of around five to 15 years this could be- come a significant new waste stream for New Zealand to deal with,” Vector Group chief executive Simon Mackenzie says. “That’s why we’ve formed this lead- ers’ group to tackle the issue head-on. It will be good for the country if we succeed in reducing waste to landfill, and group members will benefit through pre-competitive collaboration to unlock new parts of the battery value chain.” The group includes representatives from Vector, Audi, BMW, Toyota, the Scrap Metal Recycling Association of New Zealand, and Waste Management NZ. It will research the market for end- of-life batteries and study the scale of the problem, also recommending how a future product stewardship scheme should be implemented.

“We’re initially aiming to quantify and identify business opportunities designed to give second-life use to large batter- ies,” Mackenzie says. Visit vector.co.nz for more informa- tion. Simon Mackenzie.

NEWSTALK 8 | EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz NEWSTALK rine, lifestyle and consumer electronics industries at the 20th anniversary show, ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane. Electric Avenue celebrates all things electric and takes up half the Driven Hall at Big Boys Toys. “Last year was a test run to see the response from having EVs in a main- stream consumer show,” Big Boys Toys event director Dean Wilson says. “The response was incredible, so we decided to stage the Electric Avenue in conjunction with ChargeNet NZ. “It will bring the EV sector into an iconic show, signalling to the public that EVs are now a mainstream automotive option.” Wilson reckons Electric Avenue is going to be one of the biggest EV events presented to a consumer market in New Zealand this year.

Visitors to the avenue can meet the experts and ask questions, with representa- tives from GVI Electric, ChargeNet NZ, the Electric Vehicle Association of Aotearoa, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority and many more on hand. The GoBabyGo charity has its mini electric ride-in toy cars for children with impaired mobility on display. It’s selling cars for about $399 to help pay for the next container of cars to be adapted, inviting people interested in purchasing one for an able-bodied child to help support the charity’s cause. The Driven Hall also includes su- percars the 2018 Ferrari 812 Superfast and 2018 Ford GT, along with the Mirthmobile from cult 1990s movie Wayne’s World.

Then there’s the Ultimate Garage with hot rods, classic cars and other items. A huge Construction Zone showcases big machinery from the industry and hosts the Auckland Excavator Operator Champs. The Mammoth Action Arena has extreme sports, which includes cars dropped from over 70 metres in the TCNZ Car Drops. Visit www.bigboystoys.co.nz or www. facebook.com/bigboystoysnz for more information. Electric Avenue heats up Continued from page 1 Mercury’s electric car ‘Evie’ will be at Big Boys Toys. Learning from Norway – three years on, speaking to Drive Electric members and answering questions.

An exclusive opportunity to join a small group to dine with Bu in Auckland the same day and in Christchurch on the evening of November 27 is also offered. And an Electric Waiheke Breakfast is planned, with Bu expected to attend to discuss Waiheke Island becoming the first all-electric island by 2030. Bu will also do a presentation at the Business NZ chief executive officers’ fo- rum ahead of an address from transport minister Phil Twyford on November 30. The forum is held three times annually and usually gets about 45 officers. “Christina is a real authority on elec- tric vehicles and we hope her tour will inspire more fleets and individuals alike to go electric,” Drive Electric chairman Mark Gilbert says.

“Like Norway, New Zealand is the perfect place to run EVs with an abundance of renewable energy; a real intent to protect the environment by reducing carbon emissions and the potential to become more energy inde- pendent over time. “Her visit will help highlight how New Zealand can learn from Norway’s example, from both a consumer and governmental point of view.” Norway is leading the way for the transition to zero emission electric cars. In 2015, electric vehicles had a 22% market share in Norway, due to a sub- stantial package of incentives devel- oped to promote zero emission cars. These included tax benefits – includ- ing no import and registration taxes - highway and urban toll exemptions, free municipal parking, bus lane use, funding for charging stations such as apartment buildings, shopping centres and parking buildings; public funding for fast charg- ing stations every 50km on main roads. The incentive programme will be revised and adjusted parallel with the market development.

EV sales set a new record in Norway recently, with 45% of new cars being all-electric and 60% plug-in. September registration figures show 10,620 new passenger cars were regis- tered in Norway. Average carbon dioxide emissions of new cars registered are now at a record low of 55g per km – 16g per km lower than in September 2017. “Such a large increase in electric cars caused a record-low CO2 emissions of 55g/km,” Road Traffic Advisory Board director Øyvind Solberg Thorsen says. “Although we in Norway are accus- tomed to average CO2 emissions falling from month-to-month, this is the low- est level we have ever measured.” Diesel car sales are down, but all-elec- tric vehicles sales also appear to be get- ting market shares from plug-in hybrids. Tesla contributed hugely to EV de- ployment in Norway in September with just over 2000 new registrations. It delivered about 2300 cars in the country during the third quarter and over 2000 of them were delivered that month.

Continued from page 1

NEWSTALK EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 9 NEWSTALK EVs may counter central Auckland’s pollution E lectric vehicles could help cut rising air pollution in downtown Auckland. Replacing diesel transport such as buses with electric is Auckland Council planning committee chairman Chris Darby’s answer. Two electric buses are being trialled by Auckland Transport on its City Link service, with more considered, while electric scooters, electric bikes and ride-sharing are providing other trans- port options.

Moves to electric follow concern air pollution levels are rising in parts of the city like Queen Street after years of reductions. Higher diesel emissions from older buses, trucks, ferries and ships are blamed for a rise in fine carbon parti- cles dubbed “black carbon”, which can lead to health issues, council research shows. Black carbon air concentrations had decreased at four of five Auckland sites between 2006 and 2016, accord- ing to Stats NZ and the Ministry for the Environment. The average annual concentration was highest at Queen Street and Khyber Pass Road in that time.

But the latest research suggests con- centrations in Queen Street especially are now rising, where high buildings reportedly reduce airflow and allow air pollutant concentrations to increase close to the ground. Meanwhile, Auckland mayor Phil Goff says Auckland’s city centre and waterfront is being transformed. OurAuckland says a modern and efficient public transport system will be installed over the coming decade, along with more public open space and shared pathways. While vehicles are likely to be reduced, emergency and essential ser- vices will still have access. Goff says the central city’s nature is changing. “It used to be empty and in- ert, but now we have more than 50,000 people living here, thousands of stu- dents and visitors, and 120,000 workers piling into our centre each day. “Our central city is important not only to our region, but our country too, generating up to 20% of Auckland’s GDP and 7% of the country’s economic output.

“Previously, we’ve built around the private vehicle, but the city centre’s growth simply cannot be met by dedi- cating ever more space to roads and car parks. So we’re giving the city back to the people with more public trans- port options and pedestrian-friendly streets and open space. “We are also making Quay Street a pedestrian-friendly, green, tree-lined boulevard connected to open space at the bottom of Queen Street and around the ferry terminal. “After the America’s Cup (March 2021) we expect to begin work on light rail up Queen Street and make it a destination rather than a through road with plans for more shared space and pedestrian laneways in surrounding streets such as High Street and Federal Street.

“The Linear Park, connecting Victoria Park through the city to Albert Park will be a wonderful addition to Auckland al- lowing cyclists, pedestrians and scoot- ers to move about our city safely.” Public engagement on elements of downtown work including the redevel- opment of Quay Street will start later in November, with the main physical works around Quay Street and down- town due to begin in late December. Auckland Transport’s electric bus. Associate transport minister Julie Anne Genter and Phil Goff at the launch of Auckland’s electric buses in April.

NEWSTALK 10 | EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz NEWSTALK A s countries around the world set ambitious carbon zero targets, the business world is responding with more and more innovative and clean and green products to meet the changing marketplace. And it’s fair to say that the transport industry is streets ahead of the curve, with huge investment across the globe driving the unstoppable rise of electric vehicles. New Zealand consumers, it seems, are completely on board with this trend. According to a recent survey by a NZ energy retailer, a whopping 46% of Kiwis say they would consider buying an elec- tric vehicle over the next two years. When respected futurist Tony Seba visited New Zealand last year, he predicted EVs will be cheaper than petrol cars within a decade.

But when it comes to the cold hard reality of jumping aboard the EV bandwagon today, the question of upfront cost is causing many to slam on the brakes. “There are many reasons why switch- ing to an EV makes perfect sense,” Vector’s new technology lead Moonis Vegdani says. “However, for many the opportunity to buy a new car does not come up very often, simply because the upfront cost of purchasing new cars is so substan- tial,” he says. “But with all the development hap- pening in the EV space, and the amount of near-new EVs entering the second- hand car market, it’s high time to revisit the maths because the financial argu- ments to make the switch to an EV could be a lot stronger than we think.” Look beyond the sticker price According to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority’s (EECA) “total cost of ownership tool”, choos- ing the right vehicle for your business comes down to much more than just the purchase price. Looking at the total cost of ownership, and the amount of kilometres you clock up, could make a big difference to your bottom line, and your carbon footprint.

For example, if your business was in the market for a fleet of five-seat hatch backs – going electric with a new Nissan Leaf would cost you roughly $40,000 per car in upfront costs. A comparable petrol-powered option, such as a new five-seat Toyota Corolla, would come in at around $32,500. EECA’s online tool breaks down the total cost of ownership for each car over a 36-month term, or 64,000km travelled. And it turns out the real differ- ence in total ownership cost be- tween the two cars comes in at about $500, with the Nissan only slightly more expensive*. But if you drive 77,000km over that term, the total cost of ownership is more favourable for the Nissan Leaf, by $1440.

That’s because, according to EECA’s online tool, the running costs (electricity and maintenance) of the Nissan Leaf are considerably less than the petrol costs required by the Corolla. “Furthermore, the EV has about 20 moving parts compared to about 2000 in a car with an internal combustion en- gine, so over the life of the vehicle, the servicing requirements are likely to be much less onerous,” Vegdani says. While comparing the total cost of ownership gives us plenty of food for thought, things start to get much more interesting for the discerning buyer when you add home solar and battery systems into the EV equation. Compounding interest HRV Solar’s Rob Speirs says as more homes and businesses adopt solar and battery systems to their energy mix, and the technology that drives them contin- ues to advance at pace, the benefits of EVs could really kick into gear. “Picture a future where you’ve just ar- rived home in your EV, it’s been a sunny day so the HRV solar panels on your roof have generated enough energy to fully charge your home battery. “Then, as the family uses that stored energy to get ready for dinner, you might plug your EV into the wall to dis- charge energy left in your car’s battery to use in your home.

“Continuing with the future vision, as you’re getting ready for bed, you might reverse the charge of your car battery to fill it up for the commute to work tomorrow – either from what’s left in your storage battery, or directly from the power grid now that you have the option to choose. “The next day you repeat the cycle, and do this over the course of the year and work out that during this time you would have utilised quite a lot of solar energy to power your EV. “While this is hypothetical today, this sort of technology could exist in future, and that’s when the benefits of EVs could end up being an easy choice for families.” As with EVs, doing your sums careful- ly and keeping your household’s needs in mind is important when it comes to determining if solar is right for you. The good news is, as solar and battery technology continues to improve, the options for maximising your EV invest- ment could increase.

That may be good for your wallet and the planet too. After all, New Zealand’s mostly renewable electricity supply puts us in a unique position to transition swiftly to an EV nation. *Comparing total cost of owner- ship of a Toyota Corolla ZR CVT Hatch 5-seat 103kW petrol car with a Nis- san Leaf AC Motor Hatch 5-seat 80kW electric car using EECA’s Total Cost of Ownership Tool: https://www.eeca- business.govt.nz/tools/vehicle-total- cost-of-ownership-tool/ Register for FREE news updates www.evtalk.co.nz/subscribe The power behind EVs HRV Solar general manager Rob Speirs outlines a future with solar power driving vehicle, home and business energy needs.

Moonis Vegdani.

FILL UP AT YOU PLACE

REVIEWTALK 12 | EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz Open-top electric I have great respect for BMW’s early efforts at electrification. As men- tioned last month in our review of the i3, the brand eschewed conventional with their early efforts and attempted not just to go electric, but rewrite what a car should be. This resulted in unique formats, ex- otic construction methods and unusual drivetrain formats. The early concepts were wild, and it surprised many that they went into production in forms not too dissimilar.

The i8 is derived from the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics, which was powered by a three-cylinder diesel rather than the petrol engine it ended up with – and offered similar performance. While a convertible concept was released in 2012, the production model when launched here in 2015 was coupe-only. Sales levels may have been minimal, but there is little doubt it has been an eye-catching halo for the brand and brought at- tention to the “i” sub-brand. The i8 range has received many updates for 2018, including more electric-only range, and finally, you can get it with a canvas top. Take a deep breath for the price though; the coupe is $286,200, the Road- ster $309,900, or in the case of our test car with “laser” headlights, $317,900. I will leave it up to you to decide if that is pricey, but it is more than even a high-spec Tesla Model X or nearly $100,000 more than a Porsche 911 of- fering similar performance. Still, neither offer the composite construction the i8 does. The body and much of the chassis is built with carbon- fibre reinforced plastic, reducing weight and increasing strength. It is a produc- tion method more commonly seen on supercars and racecars – and getting a peek of it on certain parts of the car it looks impressive.

The drivetrain itself is a combination of two months. Under the swooping rear plastic is a 1.5-litre turbocharged three- cylinder petrol, similar to the engine found in many Mini and BMW models. This produces 170kW and 320Nm and drives the rear wheels through a conventional six-speed automatic. Under the front of the car is an electric motor producing 96kW and 250Nm. The electric motors can drive the car itself up to and over the speed limit, while combined, the two motors produce 270kW and 570Nm - enough power for a sub-5 second 0.100km/h run.

The Roadster, and updated coupe, now get a larger 34Ah (11.6kWh) battery, boosting range to a claimed 53km. Fuel economy is claimed to be 2.1 litres per km, though from our experience 40km of range is more likely, and expect fuel use of 3-5 litres per 100km - unless you are incredibly cautious. Still, for a near- supercar, that is amazing. This is assisted by the i8’s relatively low weight. Built from a mix of alumin- ium and fibre reinforced plastic, it gains just 60kg to weigh in at 1595 - only 62kg more than a Nissan Leaf. Aside from being light, the construc- tion method is also very stiff and strong. The i8 does not feel as if it is flexing, as some convertibles are prone to do. A range of drive modes is available at the push of a button. eDrive puts you in the electric model only, where performance is surprisingly good using just the front motors.

Sport gives you maximum power and firmer suspension, Comfort reduces responsiveness for range, and Eco- Pro takes things a step further. When in Sport, peg the pedal, and you get thrown back firmly in your seat. The rush is accompanied by a sporty burble from the rear of the car, though some of this is artificial rather than natural. Handling is impressive, though not in a way you would expect from a high-end sports car. Don’t expect the precision of a Porsche or even BMW’s M3; the i8 focusses on being more comfortable and refined. It will get you around a corner quickly, but just in a slightly less connected way.

I see this as a strong card in the BMW’s pack - you can have the wild looks, with- out the energy-sapping “always on” feel of cars that look this good. It is a brilliant tourer. In the city, the i8 shines in ways sports cars normally don’t. The ride is good, with bumps well absorbed. Before driving I feared the car’s width would make it a monster in town, but it

REVIEWTALK EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 13 electricity to the grid, particularly in times of need. Development of solar power associ- ated with this could also mean EVs are less reliant on grid electricity. Meanwhile, Transpower New Zealand – the state-owned enterprise responsible for electric power transmission, has a regular update of the hydro lake situation on its website, https://www.transpower. co.nz/ along with further information. It shows that because of a lack of rainfall, hydro lakes nationally are well below normal for this time of year. That can change rapidly, as shown when hydro lake levels were also very low in late 2017 and early 2018, but topped up quickly.

As the owner of the national grid, Transpower provides electric power transmission infrastructure that allows consumers to have access to genera- tion from a wide range of sources and enables competition in the wholesale electricity market. Transpower manages the grid’s real- time operation and the physical opera- tion of the electricity market. It says inflows (rainfall and snow- melt) can be stored in hydro lakes until needed. The most important are lakes Tekapo, Pukaki, Hawea, Manapouri, Te Anau, and Taupo.

The lakes have quite limited operat- ing ranges – for technical and resource consent reasons, each lake’s level can- not be lowered below a certain point. It is not possible to completely “empty” a hydro lake, for instance. In the absence of inflows, the lakes can only hold enough water for a few weeks of winter energy demand. For security of supply purposes, hydro storage is divided into two cat- egories: Controlled and contingent storage. Generators can use controlled stor- age at any time, but contingent stor- age may only be used during defined periods of shortage or risk of shortage. During sustained dry periods, controlled and contingent storage are important indicators of overall supply risks. South Island controlled storage, representing around 85% of New Zea- land’s controlled storage capacity, is often used as a key measure. Storage is expressed in gigawatt-hours (GWh). Transpower says total controlled storage for New Zealand is below aver- age for this time of the year. As at November 4, Lake Taupo was at 287GWh - about 49% of its maxi- mum controlled storage.

South Island controlled storage as at November 4 was 1115GWh, about 37% of the maximum South Island con- trolled storage. “This is below the historical aver- age for the time of year,” Transpower says, which assesses the risk of hydro shortage at less than 1% (barring major unexpected equipment failures). The conditions that allow contingent storage to be used differ with each hy- dro lake and are governed by resource consents between the relevant local authority and generator. Low hydro levels and higher prices shouldn’t impact EVs Continued from page 3 just isn’t. Sightlines are reasonable and BMW’s cameras and parking assistants excellent.

Reinforcing the ability to drive this car every day is the interior. It is simple in design - almost a little dated - yet with a quality feel and up-to-date technology. The i8 gets BMW’s latest itera- tion of iDrive, which includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The roof can be lifted on the go with a switch under the centre handset, and the rear window can be raised and lowered. Gone are the rear seats of the coupe, but as they were so small, they are no real loss. Instead, you get 70 litres of cubby space divided into three sections - likely to stop items sliding around. This adds to the rather small trunk in the rear. Weekends away are not going to be difficult in the i8, but soft bags are recommended.

You also need a little space in the boot for the EV charging lead, an 8 amp type-2 unit. The onboard charger is only 3.7kW, which means the best charging time you will achieve on a level 2 unit is about three hours. The i8 was an absolute surprise to drive and experience. Considering the price, construction, performance figures and design, I will admit to expecting something fast and fun yet daunting. It is not – it is refined, easy to use and liveable – if only it weren’t quite so expensive.

Fricking laser beams! You may have noticed the substantial price difference for i8’s fitted with laser headlights. So what are they and are they any good? The i8 is the first production car to be fitted with this kind of light unit, and they share a lot of their technology with standard adaptive headlights – able to switch individual lights on and off to appear dipped to oncom- ing traffic. Under 70kmh the lights are running as LEDs rather than using laser. Above that speed, the laser diodes can be used to produce light. They use 30% less energy than an LED and are 10 times smaller. This means they produce less heat, and needless reflector space yet can produce significantly more light. Their range on a clear road can be as much as 600 metres.

Roads, where their full effect can be felt, are rare in New Zealand, but still, the lights in the i8 are impressive, with an excellent reach and a crisp white beam.

NEWSTALK 14 | EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz Hakansson has also set records on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. They’re now working on an even faster electric bike with the working name “Green Envy”, which they hope to race about a year from now. The couple also hopes to attend the Landspeed New Zealand Associa- tion event at Goudies Road between Taupo and Rotorua on December 2. Meanwhile, they’re enjoying driving around in their 2013 Nissan Leaf and flying light aircraft (both have private pilot licences) when they can. “Electric aviation is the next big thing in battery power,” says Hakans- son, who wants to be ready when electric aircraft become mainstream. One of Hakansson’s favourite say- ings, and indeed her motto, comes from a 10-year-old girl embarrassed by her mum’s car.

“Gasoline? That’s so last century.” Visit www.ScienceEnvy.com for more information. Continued from page 4 Flat out into the future First EVworld South set for success K een interest in the first EVworld South con- ference and expo in Christchurch on November 23 and 24 is confirmed by host Conferenz. Thousands are expected at Wigram’s Air Force Museum for the trade and fleet day on No- vember 23 and the public open day on November 24, 9am- 5pm – both with free entry. Enquiries about EVs have stepped up in the wake of fuel price rises, prompting growing interest in the expo. More than 60 exhibitors are expected at the South Island version of New Zealand’s larg- est combined EV show suc- cessfully held twice already in Auckland. At the last event in August, which included 75 exhibitors, more than 4400 people attended and 1000 EV rides were held.

EV rides and drives are also expected to be popular at EVworld South, and visitors can check out other electric transport such as trucks, bikes, scoot- ers, skateboards and more. Electric bikes and scooters can even be ridden on a special track. Hyundai’s new Kona EV, for exam- ple, will be on display, retailing for about $74,000 with 400km range. Advice will be provided by suppli- ers of EVs and infrastructure, or at free seminars on a huge variety of EV-relat- ed topics. Visitors can learn about the benefits of switching to an EV, car sharing, re- ducing carbon emissions, electrifying a fleet, smart charging, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority low emis- sion vehicle contestable fund grants, and much more. Seminar speakers include Flip the Fleet representatives Henrik Moller and Daniel Myall, EVincible director Mark Nixon, Meridian En- ergy’s Nick Robilliard, Yoogo Share’s Kirsten Corson, 2018 EV Champion of the Year Martin Kane, Electric Vehicle Association of Aotearoa founder Justin Boyd and Hyundai national fleet sales manager James Williams. The Net Carbon Neu- tral Towns conference is co-hosted at the show on November 23, highlighting the path toward a zero- emission economy and the role EVs play.

Dr Colin Herron from Zero Carbon Futures in the United Kingdom is the main speaker. Another event in conjunc- tion with EVworld South is EVolicity’s national finals on November 24, bringing together high school students to race their electric bikes and three or more wheeled EVs designed and built over the year. Visit https://www.conferenz.co.nz/ events/evworld-south-2018 for more information. EVworld South good to go.

MICRO EVS 18 | EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz NZ DEALERS WANTED Call for info 021 536 668 hello@niuscooters.co.nz Giving Kiwis a reason to ride 09 4799274 info@electricbikes.co.nz MICRO EVS Rope in a Maverick M avericks are cool bikes. In fact, that’s where we got our test electric bike from – Cool Bikes New Zealand in Albany, Auckland, specialising in cruiser-style bikes. The e-bikes not only look cool but provide a very comfortable ride too. So what’s a Maverick? It’s the brand name here for the electric bike which, at first glance, re- sembles a circa 1930s Douglas motor- cycle, particularly with the battery in a “fuel tank” lookalike. Maverick means trend-setter, and it is also North American slang for an unbranded calf.

It certainly takes off like a startled yearling, and attracts plenty of looks and comments. “What’s that?” some ask. Heads turned as we cycled – pedal assisted, of course – around Auckland. Passing motorists gawked, pedes- trians gaped and other people pointed – it’s definitely a “look at me” type of bike well suited to cruising Ponsonby cafes. The large, almost motorcycle- like white wall tyres grab attention too, known as Duro Beach Bum tyres. There’s more to the Maverick than looks though.

It can get around quickly with seven- speed Shimano gears and five levels of pedal assist which kick in the 350W Bafang rear hub motor putting out 280- 300W. A thumb throttle provides a good boost away from the lights, especially if the rider forgets to drop down through the gears beforehand. The e-bike knocked 10 minutes off the normal one-hour commute over 23km between home and work in Auck- land – and that wasn’t caning it. It doesn’t take long to remember to keep your knees slightly out from the “fuel tank” battery container and not tuck them in close like on a road cycle. The Maverick can do around 40km/h in level four or five assist, but level three seemed ideal most of the way at around 30km/h so that the rider is exercising as well.

If you like keeping fit then drop the pedal assist speed levels down a bit. The e-bike still pedals OK without power assist. Despite looking hefty, the Maver- ick weighs about 25kg - similar to many e-bikes, and we could lift it with relative ease. The only drawback – its length meant it wouldn’t fit in the lift at work, so it was tethered in a secured parking area. Riding into a screaming head wind and a spatter of rain proved the Maverick’s worth. It held its pace and we even al- lowed a cyclist to slip-stream most of the way along the north-western motorway cycle path – for which he was grateful. Speaking of wind, hills that are chal- lenging for a road cyclist were a breeze to get up.

And bumps in the road or cycleway are barely noticeable, thanks to the big- ger tyres, suspension and a comfortable saddle. Leather handlebar grips are a nice touch and the hydraulic disc brakes pull the bike and rider up very quickly, even going downhill in the wet. The large motorcycle-like LED front light is great for warning other road us- ers and pedestrians you are coming – and there’s a bell as well. A handlebar attachment allows riders wearing a Livall smart helmet to operate the helmet’s indicators and use a smartphone hands-free.

The LCD screen on the left han- dlebar allows easy reading of speed, battery health, mileage and other vital information at a glance. Our Maverick came with a rear red light too. Range is surprising – the e-bike did one 23km run with only one of the four bars of battery health used. Admit- tedly, the run home the same distance into a head wind and rain drained most of the remaining bars. But nearly 50km on one charge with hills and a strong wind thrown in is good going. Maverick specs put the range from full charge as varying between 45km and 75km depending on terrain and rid- ing style.

The 2.8kg battery recharges from flat within four to six hours, plugged in to a normal household socket. The e-bike is safety certified, comply- ing with the EN15194 standard and the aluminium frame has a five-year war- ranty, with two-year cover on the motor and one year on the electrics. It’s priced at $3490. Test rides are welcomed. Check out the Maverick and others in the Cool Bikes’ range at Big Boys Toys’ Electric Avenue, booth 3020, Pavilion 3, ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auck- land, November 16-18.

Alternatively, if you are based in the South Island, visit The Rev Bike Company stand E67 on Royal Avenue at the New Zealand Agricultural Show, Christchurch, November 14-16. Or visit http://coolbikes.co.nz/ or www.revbikes.co.nz for more informa- tion.

NEWSTALK EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 19 INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT Connected Vehicles City Brain-type transport co-ordination coming W e may all soon be part of a connected transport artificial intelligence (AI) network. Alibaba has developed an AI system called City Brain, designed to co- ordinate the transportation system in Hangzhou, China. The system resulted in a 15% decrease in congestion in the first year. In addition to the time saved because of congestion (estimated to be an aver- age of three minutes per trip), crashes are tracked in real time, allowing for faster re- sponse. Traffic lights are also co-ordinat- ed for emergency vehicle access. In fact, it is estimated that emergency vehicle response time has been reduced by 50%, allowing emergency vehicles to arrive an average of seven minutes faster. The system has also made illegal parking a thing of the past due to the tracking of vehicles and the use of im- age recognition technology to analyse over 3000 cameras in real time. City Brain is built upon a powerful AI- machine algorithm. Connected tech- nologies combined with the ubiquity of cameras creates a transport network where essentially every vehicle is con- nected. This data is collected and fed into the AI.

In addition to monitoring traffic and parking, cameras are used to collect in- formation on queues for public transport. The City Brain project began by giving Alibaba access to traffic data from the transportation bureau, public transportation systems, mapping apps and video feeds from thousands of cameras. Then the system was given control of 104 traffic lights. The AI has grown and learned as more sensors are added to the network and it was given control over more sys- tems. Today, the system includes 1300 traffic lights and is connected to 4500 traffic monitoring video cameras; cov- ering an area of 420 square kilometres. The system is supposed to be set up so the city owns the data and Alibaba owns the software. It is interesting to consider how this system could evolve. For instance, the AutoNavi mapping sys- tem - which is also owned by Alibaba and integrated into City Brain - has been used to power a new ride-hailing service. What are the potential impacts of that integration? It is easy to envision the system giving preferential treatment to its own services.

This might sound unfair, but a truly smart city will require connectivity. Piecemeal solutions will not be able to deliver the same level of integrated data and services, the AI will not be as intelligent. What would be the consequences for competition? If this is the smart city of the future, how can we ensure neu- trality for competition and innovation? What about privacy? How can we guarantee oversight of current, or more importantly, future use of data? Alibaba has recently agreed to develop a City Brain for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. One of the focuses of this second initiative is to open the data up to innovators for use by enterprises, start-ups, and research institutions. With potential benefits like this, we might ask ourselves why this has not already been done in cities in New Zealand. It is inevitable that this will be part of our future, starting in cities, then connecting between cities, creat- ing a networking country.

Of course, in New Zealand we must worry about things like privacy. There are other risks associated with highly centralised systems such as hacking and even simply failure. So, what would this look like in New Zealand? Obviously it will start in Auck- land. Would we be willing to give up so much of our data, how would we pro- vide oversight? Would it be private or government run? What benefits would justify the cost? There are options other than large centralised systems which might miti- gate some of the risks and costs. Imagine, for instance, Kiwis volunteer their personal and commercial com- puter resources. These computers link to a distributed network when idle and that network then provides the analytics necessary for the system.

The best part of this idea is it pro- vides an opportunity to utilise resourc- es already available. Systems like this (such as the BOINC software platform) have been used for analysing big data sets in astronomy and other scientific fields for over a decade. Most importantly, however, is that we start thinking about every solution as part of an evolving system. When plan- ning and building transport corridors, we should be thinking about what solu- tions will replace it in the future. By Kit Wilkerson, VIA analyst and adviser, on behalf of ITS NZ.

20 | EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES Leading AV firm wins TIN Rocket Award N ew Zealand-based HMI Technol- ogies, which is developing Ohmio autonomous electric shuttles, has won this year’s TIN Rocket Award. The Technology Investment Net- work (TIN) Rocket Award recognises the company that has gained the most places in the TIN200 rankings for the year. HMI Technologies, the second re- cipient of the annual TIN Rocket Award, climbed 44 places in the TIN200 ranks. The award announced at the 2018 TIN Report launch and gala awards event in Auckland was presented to HMI Technologies co-founder and HMI Global head Mohammed Hikmet. The TIN Report monitors the perfor- mance of New Zealand’s 200 (TIN100 and Next100) largest technology export- ers in the areas of information and com- munications technology (ICT), high-tech manufacturing and biotechnology. It is sponsored by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Spark, EY, Absolute IT, James & Wells and Simmonds Stewart. HMI Technologies designs and builds custom intelligence transporta- tion systems, including variable signs and autonomous vehicles.

In the past year, it has secured a US$20 million joint venture with the City of Heshan in China to distribute its Ohmio electric shuttles. This deal contributed to the firm’s im- proved growth of $6.5 million in FY2018, the highest of any Next100 company. As a result, HMI Technologies also joined the Absolute IT Supreme Scale-Ups awards list in second place this year. “HMI Technologies has shown remark- able growth in the past year,” TIN manag- ing director Greg Shanahan says. “The market potential for autonomous vehicles is enormous; HMI Technologies’ recent Chinese joint venture places the com- pany in an excellent position to target this potential to their full advantage. “This year, the performance of New Zealand’s tech export sector is sending a strong message that it has the potential to become our country’s leading source of offshore income,” Shanahan says. “An overwhelming number of key metrics point towards long-term sustainable growth for the TIN200 and we’re very excited to see the further po- tential that this growth presents.” The 2018 TIN Report shows that turnover for New Zealand’s top 200 (the TIN200) technology companies increased by 11% to reach $11.1 billion in the past year; the second billion-dollar growth result in three years and the driver behind a record profitability rise for this group of companies.

ICT companies accounted for almost half this year’s TIN200 rev- enue growth, adding $521 million in combined revenue. The TIN200’s high-tech manufac- turing and biotech firms also trended above their historical averages, increasing revenue by 8.6% and 13.6%, respectively. For the first time in the 14-year his- tory of the TIN Report, there are more ICT companies than high-tech manu- facturing firms in the TIN200, reflecting the rapid proliferation of high-growth ICT companies in New Zealand over recent years. Furthermore, of the record 19 new entries joining the TIN200 ranks this year, more than half of these were ICT firms. The Fintech secondary sector recorded the highest growth with a 33.2% increase in revenue for the year (a rise of $220 million). In addition, nine of the 12 TIN secondary sectors improved profitability. Research and development spend rose almost in line with revenue growth, rising 10.2% to just below $1 billion ($991 million). This suggests that the TIN200 place innovation at the heart of their core competencies and a key to their continued success.

“Technology has become a significant part of our economy,” Shanahan says. “But this is just the start of the New Zealand tech story, with the TIN200 setting their sights high as they push to become the number one export.” According to the TIN Report, the tech sector now employs 47,417 people globally with just over half in New Zea- land (25,451). These jobs yield signifi- cantly higher wages than the national average, providing the opportunity for tech to help raise wellbeing and address economic disparities in New Zealand. Visit www.tin100.com for more information.

NEWSTALK 22 | EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz NEWSTALK POWER DEALS FOR EV USERS Company Energy Deals Where Cost to charge LEAF* Electric Car Plan: Super-low night rates that start at the earlier time of 9pm, until 7am daily. Available for your entire home’s electricity needs. Rates are fixed for 3 years and includes 20% PPD. And, join before 31 August 2018 and get a year’s worth of free EV charging on us! (bill credit of up to $300). Auckland Wellington Christchurch $4.91 $4.15 $2.80 Plug-in Vehicle Fuel Package: 20% discount on your energy bill from 9pm – 7am, available on multiple properties, guaranteed discount for 2 years from signing up to offer, 10% PPD is included in these calculations.

Auckland Wellington Christchurch $6.46 $6.49 $6.71 Flick Electric Wholesale rates plus their Flick Fee: No fixed term, EV rate in Wellington. Calculated using an average spot price of 5.7c per kWh. Auckland Wellington Christchurch $5.79 # $5.00 # $4.36 # Genesis Energy Classic plan: Excellent night rates, no fixed term, 10% PPD has been included, check if the matching daytime kWh rate will affect your overall bill. Auckland Wellington Christchurch $6.61 $4.10 $3.62 Nova Energy Home EV Plan: 20% prompt payment discount over whole electricity bill until 31 July 2020, no fixed pricing, no fixed term Auckland Wellington Christchurch $6.41 $6.29 $6.39 Paua to the People Cheap As Plan with EV night rates: No fixed term. Calculated using an average spot price of 5.7c per kWh Wellington $4.90 # *Approximate cost for a full charge of a 24kWh LEAF in the 3 largest centres of NZ. Please note that rates vary around New Zealand – the above costs were from Mt Wellington in Auckland, Northland in Wellington and Linwood in Christchurch. They can also depend on your meter type & the company you use. Prices vary at the different times of the day eg charging during the day may have higher costs and could increase your overall bill. Flick Electric in Christchurch has higher daytime rates in Winter due to variable pricing from the lines company. The rates we have used above are calculated each month using a low user cost, overnight rates, includes 10% charging loss, prompt payment discounts (PPD) if available and GST, excludes daily charge. Please note that prices were correct at time of publishing and are subject to change. Please contact us if you would like any clarification. # Spot prices can go up and down as they are affected by demand in energy and weather conditions. We have calculated these prices using the average spot price of 5.7c per kWh at night over the last 7 years, however this is no guarantee of current or future prices. Jaguar I-Pace deliveries from April J aguar I-Pace deliveries should start in New Zealand from April 2019, the all-electric SUV pricing starting at $159,900.

It will be displayed for the first time here at the ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland, December 31-January 12. “The I-Pace’s 90kWh lithium-ion battery delivers a range of up to 470km for a single charge - the equivalent of more than 14 days travel for the aver- age Kiwi motorist driving 12,000km per annum,” Jaguar NZ general manager Steve Kenchington says. “At the same time, the onboard pow- ertrain provides 400PS and 696Nm of usable instant torque and with all-wheel drive as standard, the I-Pace can reach 100km/h in just 4.8 seconds,” he says. Kenchington says prelaunch demand has been exceptionally strong with doz- ens of customers purchasing a vehicle based only on reviews and respect for the brand in this market.

“With numerous industry accolades from around the world since it launched earlier this year, the I-Pace has already exceeded expectations globally,” he says. “At the same time more than 50 de- posits have been received from around the country, months before pricing de- tails became available for this market. “The Jaguar brand has a particularly loyal following in New Zealand and the trust in that brand has seen a large number of customers show their sup- port for this evolutionary new model.” Kenchington says international inter- est has led to supply constraints and customers are advised to register their interest with their dealers as limited stock will be available in the coming year. Retailers will be using virtual real- ity to help demonstrate the vehicle to customers wanting to purchase before the first shipment arrives. “We also expect the sales figure to lift significantly once the first demonstrator models arrive in January.” A five year free service plan is in- cluded.

EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 23 WE’RE COMMITTING TO EVs ABB Ltd. Air New Zealand BMW Contact Energy Fonterra Foodstuffs North Island Fuji Xerox Fujitsu Giltrap Group Hyundai New Zealand ISS Facility Services Kiwirail Leaseplan OCS Opus Powerco Renault New Zealand SG Fleet Spark The Warehouse Transpower Turners Auctions Unison Vodafone Waste Management Watercare WEL networks Westpac Xero EVtalk checks out how some of the New Zealand companies are doing with their commitment to electrify at least 30% of their vehicle fleets by 2019. Waste Management is among 30 of the country’s employers to agree on the deal. Waste Management doing its bit for a sustainable future W aste Management NZ is walking the talk on sustainability. It’s not only hard at work getting a fleet of 300 cars and 900 trucks on electric power but is also involved in a Battery Leaders Group of businesses finding ways to divert lithium-ion batteries from becoming e-waste.

Not only that, the company which handles waste collection, recycling and other environmental services, has just released its first sustainability strategy, For Future Generations, setting its goals for greenhouse gas reduction and publicising progress annually. It’s also just won the Keep New Zealand Beauti- ful award for the most sustainable large business (more than 20 staff), es- tablishing New Zealand’s first conversion workshop, the Electric Vehicle Inno- vation Hub, to replace fossil fuel powered vehicles with electrics.

Since opening the hub in March, the company has added one locally converted truck to the five electric trucks converted by its Dutch EV partner, Emoss - saving 125 litres of diesel daily per truck. Most of its fleet of about 300 light vehicles are leased from LeasePlan New Zealand, with about 31 now electric and more on the way. Waste Management NZ customer first national manager Marsha Cadman is con- fident the company is well on track to meet its 30% light fleet target, saying it should have 91 EVs by the end of next year. That’s despite some difficulties in get- ting electric utes.

“We have a lot of utes at landfills and transfer stations and we’re still struggling to find a suitable EV ute,” Cadman says. She says they take an “agnostic” approach to EV selection, which means the light ve- hicle fleet comprises a variety of brands and models including Hyundai, Nissan, Renault, Volkswagen, BMW and Mitsubishi. All are pure electrics. “There’s a lack of supply in the market so it’s difficult to get EVs,” she adds. The right match-up with users is im- portant. Cadman says some sales people cover considerable distances, like a Palm- erston North team member who covers the whole of the Kapiti Coast. “Some also have to visit remote sites.” As charging infrastructure develops and EVs with longer range appear, then any range anxiety will disappear, Cadman says. She says the company has had some first generation 24kWh Nissan Leafs for about a year and had limited issues with them. “Most sales people are in urban areas and don’t travel that far.” Waste Management financially supports Waste Management NZ’s electric truck. Marsha Cadman.

They can charge up at transfer stations or other sites where landfill methane gas is recycled to provide power to homes - with some used for truck charging. The trucks are usually charged overnight. “It works well for us,” Cadman says. Two new waste-to-power generators at the Redvale landfill in north Auckland are expected to be ready in November. They will increase the power provided from about 12,000 to 14,000 Auckland homes. Benefits of converting to electric – such as reductions in fuel, service and maintenance costs - are already show- ing, Cadman says.

“We’re looking at significant savings in the truck fleet.” Waste Management is talking to more than a dozen po- tential customers interested in converting trucks through the workshop. “There’s a huge amount of interest,” Cadman adds. The company will consolidate four sites - including its Mt Wellington base - at new premises in East Tamaki, with construction recently started and the move planned before Christmas 2019. The new depot will allow for faster EV charging and bet- ter management of charging as well.

Waste Management’s EV programme is part of its sustainability strategy released on October 31 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and work towards a low carbon economy in addressing climate change. Company managing director Tom Nickels says the strat- egy provides for specific approaches to sustainability across the business, working with the company’s communities, customers and internal teams. Cadman says the company aims to set an example. “Staff are engaged from the top down,” she says. Nickels drives a Tesla and is an advocate of EVs, encour- aging staff to transition to them as well. So for Waste Management, its drive for electrification makes absolute sense, and it’s setting a great example in the process.

Visit www.wastemanagement.co.nz for more informa- tion. Waste Management doing its bit for a sustainable future Continued from page 24

NEWSTALK EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 25 STATSTALK E lectric vehicle sales should sur- pass 12,000 around Christmas, especially if October’s 635 EV increase continues. EVs reached 10,885 in October, well on track to hit 12,000 by the end of the year. And that could put EV numbers about 4000 ahead of the 8000 goal for 2018. It also means next year’s 16,000 target is easily within reach. The aim is to have the number of EVs double each year to meet the Government’s target of 64,000 EVs by the end of 2021.

The October total of 10,885 is 635 up on September in monthly regis- tration figures from the Ministry of Transport released on November 5. Used light pure electrics still lead the charge with 6200 recorded by the end of October, compared with 5740 in September – a 460 increase. New light pure EVs reached 1907 – up 171 on September’s 1836. The next most popular category is new light plug-in hybrids which totalled 1818 in October, an increase of 60 on September’s 1758. Used light plug-in hybrids came in next at 849 – 41 more than the previ- ous month’s 808.

Heavy EVs are still gradually increas- ing with 111 recorded in October, up three on September’s 108. New Zealand’s rapidly rising EV fig- ures are in stark contrast to Australia’s. There, electric and hybrid sales are crawling – possibly as part of an indus- try wide slide being blamed on a poorer housing market leading to reduced dis- cretionary spending. The drop in Aus- tralia’s new car sales is a trend that has continued for seven straight months. Not so here, with the Nissan Leaf continuing as the most popular EV in New Zealand, with 450 registered in October, making up the bulk of the month’s EV registrations. It’s the seventh most popular used import among all vehicles.

And its star is likely to continue rising with the new Nissan Leaf expected to be launched here next year. Trade Me Motors says October has been interesting. “We’ve seen a decrease of 7% month-on-month (+50.3% year-on- year) of live listings of EVs on Trade Me. We’ve also seen an increase of 18.4% month-on-month (+113.6% year-on- year) of new EV listings on Trade Me. “This, together with a month-on- month increase of 48.8% and a mas- sive year-on-year increase of 204.5% in watchlists tells us a bit of a story. “The assumption is that there are more EVs being listed which are selling faster with more people interested in them.” Genuine Vehicle Group (GVI) general manager Hayden Johnston says it’s exciting to see New Zealand is on track to hit 64,000 EVs.

“It’s evident simply driving to work,” he says. “I’ve gone from seeing no EVs to a dozen plus, I love it!” Johnston says the company has seen increased interest in EVs from main- stream customers following “Taxcinda’s” fuel price hikes. “A lot of people are trading out of large engine vehicles and making an early transition into EVs or a stepping stone hybrid option until the right EV is available for them.” Johnston agrees Australia contin- ues to lag behind New Zealand in EV uptake, particularly with its charging infrastructure and limited renewable energy resources.

NEWSTALK 26 | EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz DIARYTALK EV TALK DIARY EVtalk New Zealand editor Geoff Dobson looks at the month gone by on www.evtalk.co.nz October 4 EVs included in drive for climate action Electric vehicles represent “the greatest opportunity” to reduce transport emissions. So says EV advocacy group Drive Electric, one of more than 15,000 submitters to the Zero Carbon Bill. Generally supporting the bill, Drive Electric says there’s a strong opportunity linked to decreased environmental costs in the next decade through the uptake and mainstreaming of EVs.

October 5 Polluting vehicles undermining EV gains Growth in the number of larg- er, emission-intensive vehicles is undermining the gains from zero-emission electric vehi- cles, the Ministry of Transport’s latest data shows. “Despite record numbers of electric vehicles being sold, the average amount of emissions produced by fossil- fuelled vehicles entering our fleet is staying the same,” acting associate transport minister James Shaw says. “While we’re seeing growth in EVs at one end we’re also seeing an increasing number of larger, more polluting vehicles entering the fleet at the other. October 8 EVs go the distance You’re wrong if you think you can’t go places in an EV. So says Flip the Fleet, a coalition of more than 1150 New Zealand EV owners, after its latest data shows EVs are actually driven further each year than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. The annual average distance travelled across all models of EVs is 14,100km a year, a quarter more than the 11,500km a year for ICE vehicles.

October 9 Drastic action needed to avoid climate change catastrophe One of the strongest warnings yet to heavily cut carbon diox- ide and other greenhouse gas emissions from the Intergov- ernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is expected to boost global electric vehicle production and uptake. “The IPCC report update makes sobering reading and the message is clear – act now and act quickly because increasing temperatures will have dramatic, life-changing impacts,” Energy Efficiency and Conservation Author- ity (EECA) chief executive Andrew Caseley says. “With light vehicles account- ing for 12% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, the transition to electric propulsion is more essential than ever if New Zealand is to play its part in reducing emissions.” October 10 EVs’ big day out About 200 people attended the first EV Community Day at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park between Auckland and Hamilton on October 7. EV owners grabbed the chance to drive around the 2.8km race track.

Justin Boyd from organis- ing group the Electric Vehicle Association of Aotearoa (EVAA) says the day was a great suc- cess and he hopes it will run again next year. October 11 Heat treatment fries bugs – not EV battery A Nissan Leaf has passed a biosecurity heat treatment test without any battery damage. In fact, a full report shows the 24kWh 2013 Leaf tested at Ports of Auckland passed with flying colours, despite temperatures of around 80 degrees Celsius recorded by some of the eight sensors. Concerns about whether electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries would stand up to the heat treatment used to kill pests like the brown marm- orated stink bug, prompted the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association (VIA) to order its own tests.

October 16 Pilotless electric air taxi deal struck Air New Zealand and Zephyr Airworks have agreed to work together on bringing the world’s first autonomous electric air taxi service to New Zealand. The agreement has been signed between the national carrier and the operator of the pilotless vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) Cora air taxi undergoing trials near Christchurch. Air New Zealand is commit- ted to embracing new tech- nologies that make life easier, as well as understanding the potential of cleaner energy solutions for travel, its chief executive officer Christopher Luxon says.

Fuel cost has companies exploring EVs Fuel costs are prompting more businesses to investigate including electric vehicles in their fleets. That’s a trend noticed by Driveline, one of New Zea- land’s leading vehicle leasing and finance companies. A 26% increase in requests for EVs through Driveline has come since April, its chief executive officer Lance Manins says. October 17 Electrified options among New Zealand Car of the Year brands The 10 finalists for the New Zealand Car of the Year remind us that advanced safety tech- nology is no longer reserved for high-end vehicles. And many of the brands involved have, or are working on, electrified options. A common factor binding all potential candidates for the national award, presented annually by the New Zealand Motoring Writers’ Guild, is a high level of safety technol- ogy, guild president Richard Edwards says.

October 23 Registrations open for NZ-new Nissan Leaf People seeking updates about the new Nissan Leaf can now register on Nissan New Zea- land’s website. It says all the new technol- ogy, features and specifica- tions for the second-gener- ation New Zealand new Leaf will be unveiled soon. The new 40kWh Nissan Leaf was launched in Sydney on October 4 with deliveries expected to start in mid-2019. BMW EV range hits the Waikato Hamilton-based Coombes Johnston BMW has become an authorised BMW i electric vehicle dealership.

The dealership is now sell- ing the range of BMW i series electric vehicles, which in- clude the fully-electric BMW i3, an emission-free hatch, and the BMW i8 which is being marketed as a “progres- sive sports car” showcasing the latest in drivetrain, design and construction technology. Continued on page 27

NEWSTALK EVTALK NOVEMBER 2018 | www.evtalk.co.nz | 27 DIARYTALK The range offers the environmentally sustainable conscious buyer the premium style, experience and features BMW are renowned for, along with a long list of sustainable design features, Coombes Johnston BMW head of busi- ness Richard Johnston says. October 24 Dyson confirms EV for 2021 Dyson says its electric vehicle is on track for launching in three years. A 400-strong team is developing the EV on Dyson’s campus at Hullavington Air- field in the United Kingdom. A two-storey production manufacturing facility in Singa- pore is confirmed by the home appliance company’s board and is due for completion in 2020. Test drive an EV if unsure about them – survey A hands-on test drive experi- ence is one of the main things that persuade owners to buy their first electric vehicle, a Flip the Fleet survey shows.

The nationwide EV owners’ collective found almost a third (27%) of 343 survey partici- pants were persuaded to buy an EV by taking one for a drive. “That doesn’t surprise me,” says Kaipara EV advocate Mar- garet Baker who drove New Zealand’s first 100% electric taxi in Whangarei for almost two years. New Zealand signs hydrogen agreement with Japan New Zealand and Japan have signed a co-operation agree- ment to develop hydrogen tech- nology for an alternative fuel. The agreement between New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and Japan’s Min- istry of Economy, Trade and Industry was signed in Tokyo on October 23 by energy and resources minister Megan Woods and Japan’s economy, trade and industry minister Hiroshige Seko.

“This is the first memoran- dum of its kind with Japan in the world,” Woods says. Lime electric scooters prompt controversy The introduction of Lime electric scooters to Auckland and Christchurch has not been without controversy. Concerns have been raised about the safety of the e-scooters which can reach nearly 30km/h and can be ridden on footpaths, shared pathways and even the road without a helmet – although wearing a helmet is included in Lime’s terms and conditions of use. About 600 are in Auckland and 400 in Christchurch with US-based Lime having permits for 1000 and 700 in those cit- ies respectively.

October 25 Dealer’s guide to EVs launched A new guide gives people in the automotive industry an overview of electric vehicles and equips them to answer custom- ers’ most common queries. The Dealer’s Guide to Elec- tric Vehicles was launched online on October 25 by the Energy Efficiency and Con- servation Authority (EECA) as part of the Government’s information campaign to accelerate EV uptake in New Zealand. A third of New Zealanders are now open to buying a bat- tery EV, according to EECA’s market research.

EV TALK DIARY EVtalk Australia editor Geoff Dobson looks at the month gone by on www.evtalk.com.au Continued from page 26 October 2 Hyundai Ioniq pricing ‘confirmed’ below LCT Leaked pricing for the Hyun- dai Ioniq hybrid and electric vehicle range, to be launched in Australia on November 28 and 29, indicates consumers will likely be safe from the Luxury Car Tax threshold. A post on the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) Facebook page from an unknown dealer reveals the Hyundai Ioniq will be less than $50,000 before on-road costs.

October 5 Leaf leads the charge for Nissan Australia One-third of Nissan’s Aus- tralian volume will include electric technology during its current mid-term plan. That’s what Nissan Australia managing director Stephen Lester says at the launch of its new 40kWh Nissan Leaf in Sydney on October 4. October 8 Smarter software for Tesla “Our most substantial update yet” is how Tesla describes its new Software Version 9.0. The Tesla Team says the new software, now avail- able in North America and expected in Australia shortly, is “smarter, safer and more intuitive than ever before”. October 18 Massive benefits from electric AVs – report Victorian cities like Melbourne could benefit hugely from zero-emission, self-driving and shared transport. That’s according to a 224- page report from Infrastruc- ture Australia, requested by the Victorian government on the benefits, impacts and challenges faced in a future of electric and autonomous vehicles (AVs).

Kia e-Niro in Australia next year The fully electric Kia e-Niro may be on sale in Australia before the end of 2019. That’s the prediction from Kia Motors Australia media and corporate communica- tions manager Kevin Hep- worth, announcing it is in the final stages of confirming the local launch – with two other battery-electric vehi- cles set to follow. October 22 New charging infrastructure for Aussie EVs Electric vehicle infrastruc- ture company Chargefox has secured industry-changing funding to build new rapid charging stations across Australia.

Public charging stations will be built with $15 mil- lion invested by motoring clubs like NRMA and RACV, Wilson Transformers, and Carsales founder and incom- ing Chargefox chairman Greg Roebuck, plus funding from the Victorian government and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).